An action research on developing positive gender roles of fourth grade primary school students

Societies expect their individuals to adopt specific gender roles and act accordingly. These roles vary based on the society's traditions, beliefs, and culture. They bring the concept of inequality between men and women and create social problems by turning into stereotypes over time. At this point, the importance of having positive gender roles emerges in individuals' lives. Although the family takes the first place for the acquisition of gender roles, education also has a significant contribution. Educational activities from an early age have significant effects on this progress. In this context, it is aimed in this research to develop positive gender roles in primary school students aged 9-10 through teaching activities. In this direction, at first, the current situation of gender roles was analyzed, and then seven teaching activities were implemented throughout eight weeks. Thirteen students in total were included in this study, eight girls and five boys, aged 9-10, currently studying in the fourth grade during the 2021-2022 academic year in a public primary school in Çumra (sub-province of Konya, in Turkiye). The research data was obtained from student diaries, questionnaires, and observations and analyzed descriptively. The study findings showed that the participants had not encountered the concept of social gender roles before, and they had had certain gender stereotypes. After eight weeks of practice with the teaching activities, it was seen that the students tried to explain the concept of gender in an egalitarian way. It has been marked that they have adopted positive gender roles instead of the stereotypes they have had with a traditionalist point of view. This research draws attention to the importance of the educational environment and the use of teaching activities on developing positive gender roles, an issue of global concern. Keywords: Fourth-grade primary school students, positive gender roles, action research